1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a housing for an electronic device, comprising a double-walled frame, where the frame substantially has a first wall and a second wall, and the first wall here forms an outer wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices, in particular mobile devices, such as mobile control panels for industrial automation or cellphones, which are held in the hand by the operator, must fulfill certain requirements with respect to their ability to withstand being dropped. For instance, the device function must not be impaired after the device has been dropped from a certain height and has hit the floor. These device functions comprise, e.g., the device must still function without restrictions thereafter and the housing must not fracture. SIMATIC HMI, Bediengerät Mobile Panel 277 (WinCC flexible) Betriebsanleitung [HMI device Mobile Panel 277 (WinCC flexible) operating instructions], 08/2008, A5E00355982-02 discloses an electronic device, in particular a mobile panel, in which a fall protection of the device is ensured via a double wall principle. Here, the frame is built from two walls (an outer device wall and an inner device wall), which are disposed at a certain distance from one another. The outer device wall deforms so as to absorb the drop energy upon impact with the floor. The inner wall is thus not impaired and the device functions are preserved.
DE 199 52 641 A1 discloses a protective cover with an impact-absorbing filler, in particular for portable electronic devices.
WO 03/088011 A2 discloses a mobile computing unit and an expansion apparatus for industrial machine control systems, where a frame- or housing-type supporting body is formed as a soft-elastic or impact-damping holster.